Tag Archives: love

Therefore I don’t want to hear from anyone through facebook, phone calls, or texts saying “How sorry you are for my loss” or “How you too know how it feels to go through a break-up” and then proceed to share your most recent heartbreak story with me.

You have been warned.

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A Love Story…

You may not know me, I am only one of the billions on this earth and even though there are many other amazing stories out there, I believe to my last breath that you will only come across the one I’m about to tell you, once…

I was never good around girls. Being too shy to even speak to friends didn’t help that fact either. That’s why I consider myself lucky for having met the most wonderful girl in the world…

I was an idiot that couldn’t see the signs that she liked me, but thanks to her persistence we wouldn’t be here now.

So, here is my love story. It all started with a Kiss…

I don’t know if she recalls… It was after all, out of the blue

She asked if I could drive her to work one night. I agreed and dropped her off in front of her workplace. We held hands the whole way there. And then I remember… For that split second before leaving my car. She gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

She may not have known… To her it may have been a simple thank you gesture. But that kissed made me the happiest guy alive at that moment. I couldn’t help but smile all the way home.

I snuck out later that night at 3am. Being as quiet as possible. Eager to go and pick her up…

On the ride back to her house. She hugged my arm the entire way. And I had to question, Was she into me? And if she was.. I thought. Why me? But really I didn’t care. I just was lost in that moment… and everything changed that next day.

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up,
knelt down before him, and asked him,
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone.
You know the commandments: You shall not kill;
you shall not commit adultery;
you shall not steal;
you shall not bear false witness;
you shall not defraud;
honor your father and your mother.”
He replied and said to him,
“Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.”
Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him,
“You are lacking in one thing.
Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
At that statement his face fell,
and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

From this Gospel, I can gather that Jesus puts value not into observing God’s commandments but also how attached we are to our possessions.

Jesus doesn’t care if you are rich are poor, because both rich and poor people can be attached to their possessions.

Having said that, I’m sure it is easier for a poor person to give up something than a rich person. Poor people live in an environment where they lack many things already. Giving up one more item isn’t going to hurt them.

Rich people on the other hand may go through life working hard for certain things such as house, car, and clothes. If they were asked to give it all up, I would think they’d have to take a longer time considering all that they have to give up.

Jesus, doesn’t concern himself with rich or poor people, because he understands we all get attached to things.

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Is money bad?

He doesn’t ask the man, “How much money is in your bank account?”

Money isn’t bad. It’s our attachment to money that makes us forgot about what’s truly important in ones life. Sometimes our attachment is so overwhelming that we try to attain it at all cost. Even if it means stealing or depriving others of what’s rightfully theirs.

Jesus could’ve told a poor man the exact same thing, “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

The man could be poor and if he had one prized possession he couldn’t give up, perhaps a family heirloom, the poor man’s response would’ve been exactly the same as the rich man’s response.

What you have right now isn’t important.

What’s important to Jesus is how attached you are to those things.

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Why does Jesus put attachment as one of the things you need to overcome in order to reach Heaven?

He knows that as long as we are attached to earthly possessions, they will always come in the way when we try to be happy.

People have fought and killed over Air Jordans.

Wars have been started over who has the rights to a piece of land.

Family have been divided arguing over inheritance they believe to be rightfully theirs.

Jesus knows that all earthly things are perishable.

They come, they go.

They are built and eventually they erode, diminish, or break.

Nothing we possess lasts for eternity.

Therefore, why place so much of your attention, love, and time onto something that’s a lost cause?

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“How do we know if we are attached to something?”

I recently read a book called the “New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle.

He say’s the best way to see if you are attached to something is to pay attention to your thoughts and emotions, the moment one of your possessions is damaged or lost.

For example, whenever you hear that a car got broke into at Walmart. Perhaps you are thinking, “Oh wow, Wal-mart is such a dangerous place. I should be careful. ” Emotionally, there is no investment at all. You just move on right after.

But if that car happens to be yours, perhaps your thinking and emotions will be quite different. “I can’t believe someone would do that. What has this world come to? Why aren’t police officers there when you need them? I need to file a complaint to Walmart, they need security cameras out here. Who else can I blame here for my bad situation? I feel like a victim. I’m not sure I can ever park my car in the public ever again. And I just got this car last month! Why do bad things always happen to me?” And they could go on and on with this. Putting it on facebook. Sharing their frustration with everyone they meet. They go on a personal campaign with the message “the world is really messed up.”

Surprisingly there are people out there who after having their car broke in, you don’t even know it until by some accident it is revealed to you. Perhaps it came up during a conversation of why there are dents on the side of your car. These people deal with what happen. Learn from what happen. And then move on. Emotionally they are somewhat scared and frustrated, but they quickly deal with the situation and then move on with life. They don’t let the incident take over their life.

Attachment to an item can be measured by how much and how long you brood over one of your possessions being damaged or lost.

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“Why do we get attached to things and why is it so hard to get unattached?”

When we get attached to something, all it really means is we’ve become identified with it.

It’s mine.

That’s my ipod. That’s my car. That’s my shoes.

And whenever an ipod gets damaged, it feels like a part of us has been damaged.

In a way, the possession has become a part of who you are and what you represent.

We have invested a part of ourself, a part of our identity, into that product.

So when that product gets stolen, we feel empty inside because a part of us has just been lost.

When someone puts down our car, we feel like we have to defend our car. Them criticizing our car is similar to them criticizing us. Even though our car has no feelings and would run just fine after being put down. We feel the need to speak up because our feelings have been hurt and we would not run fine after having to put up with their rude remarks.

Our society is obsessed with having and wanting. All we want to do is possess, possess, and possess even more. Attachment has been ingrained into our culture.

Of course, there are some who are more attached to things than others. And even more rare, you’ll find people who aren’t attached to anything at all.

Regardless of where you stand on your degree of attachment, less attachment is always going to bring you more peace, joy, and love.

Most of us can’t argue w/ facts, so anyone who knows their facts is on pretty solid ground.

But facts can change too.

People once believed the world is flat. Well it’s not flat, it’s round.
People once believed that atoms are solid. Atoms are mostly made out of empty space.
People once believed that space travel is impossible. Now space travel is very possible.

Our world is always changing. What we hold true and to be non-debatable fact one day has the potential to be something different another day.

That is life.

So what’s the point of trying so hard to be right?

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Right/Wrong thinking encourages everyone to be close minded.

“I’m right, you’re wrong. No more discussion.”

“There is only one way to do this and only I have the key.”

“You have to choose between yes/no. There is no in between.”

To be right all the time takes enormous energy and your constantly under pressure. You can’t relax or you might falter and make a mistake.

What’s so wrong with being wrong from time to time?

It proves that you are human.

Being right all the times means you are perfect.

Perfection is no fun, when its all the time.

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Sometimes people are so stuck on being right that it ruins their relationship.

People are so obsessed on being so right, that they would rather lose out on a relationship.

“I don’t care if you want to leave me. You know that I’m right on this argument.”

To them being right is more important than maintaining the relationship.

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Religions are famous for Right/Wrong thinking.

“I’m right. You guys are wrong.”

“Do what I say and you will prosper and go to heaven. Don’t do what I say and you will suffer and go to hell.”

“I know what I’m talking about. Everyone else doesn’t.”

In a way, religions have done a better job at alienating others then they have in including people.

People have been persecuted based on religious beliefs. Wars have been justified because of religion. Families have been separated because of religious beliefs.

I’m not saying religion is bad.

All I’m saying when you look back at the history of religion, you can’t help but wonder “Where is the love?”

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What people don’t realize is that Right/Wrong thinking is responsible crimes, wars, and injustice in the world.

The Vietnamese Communists believed that they are right and that everyone is wrong. They are not open to the fact that perhaps communism isn’t good for the whole country. They won’t consider what the majority want, but only what the select few are interested in. They are closed off and nothing is up for debate.

Hitler firmly believed that he was right and everyone was wrong. He persecuted all Jews. Took over neighboring nations. Established concentration camps that de-humanized men, women, girls, and boys. It took the whole world to intervene with physical force to set Hitler in his place.

Evil happens when people always think they are right and no one every challenges them. Discussion is closed. There is only one way. Many have to suffer in order for a few to prosper.

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Good happens when people are humble enough to admit that they may be wrong and they are constantly being challenged by others. Discussions are open. There can be many ways to do it and you have the option to chose the best one. Everybody works hard, but everyone also benefits.

Since right/wrong can change from moment to moment, why put so much time, energy, and effort in who is right/wrong.

If I admit that I was wrong for stealing, I allow change to happen. I admit my fault and welcome discussion on how we all can contribute to my success.

If I keep on coming up w/ excuses on why its ok to steal. Sooner or later my past catches up to me. I get into deep trouble that may be impossible to right.

Its ok to be right. Its also ok to be wrong.

Let’s just not get too obsessed about it that we become closed to what the world is trying to tell us.

It was towards the end of the movie. Manny (wholly mammoth) was being surrounded by Sabertooth tigers trying to corner him. The leader of the pack jumped and went for the killing strike, but Diego (another sabertooth tiger) jumped and sacrificed his body to protect Manny.

Manny uses this opportunity to fight back all the threats and secures peace for him and his friends.

Manny see’s Diego lying on the ground and it looks like he’s about to die.

Manny says, “You didn’t have to do that …”

Diego responds, “Thats what you do in a herd, you look after each other.”

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I didn’t know why, but that scene struck a chord with me.

It was as if, I’ve been waiting for a long time to hear something like that.

And now, after thinking about it for a couple hours, I realize why.

I want to be like Diego.

Not in the sense, that he risks his life for others (if only I could be that brave).

No, what I mean is look at his herd. His herd consists of a sloth, a wholly mammoth, a sabertooth tiger, and a baby human.

And here they are, leaving all their differences behind, and in a sense becoming a family.

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When I look into the world, I see nothing about groups. Groups that are separated by differences. Differences which include age, race, occupation, alumni’s, social, and so many more.

For me, the most important difference is religion. There is so many and yet somehow there are always issues between them.

Wars are started because of religious differences. People are killed because of religious differences. It is natural to plant bombs on yourself and kill others in the name of your religion.

I was raised a Catholic and therefore I was taught that we are right and that mostly everyone else is wrong. But isn’t that what every other religion teaches too? That they are right, and everyone else (including us Catholics) are wrong?

I just find it ironic.

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My goal here isn’t to prove that anyone is right or that anyone is wrong.

My goal here is to do what Diego did, find a reason to co-exist and become a herd of animals that naturally can’t co-exist.

In a world full of religious differences, I’m set on finding a reason that we can all co-exist and become a family.

A family full of love, acceptance, support, non-judgment, and non-resistance.